Last Sunday, Canadians found out that we were giving $100 million to developing nations to help them fight climate change. This Monday, I received an e-mail from a friend of mine in the DRC. I had written to connect him with some translating business and I was slightly dreading his reply. 

It is not that I do not like hearing from him but rather, each time we write, he diligently advocates for the improvement of his nation. Health care, infrastructure, peace – all things I take for granted. It isn’t that I do not agree or do not want to help, but with a student budget and schedule, it is hard to tell your friend that “yes, I do remember how your country looks and yes, I do realize how you are struggling, but there is little I can do.”  It is hard to communicate the fact that while I do enjoy these things and even take them for granted, I don’t have enough to help him buy them for himself. Nor do I believe money is the right way to go about it. 

He, like many Congolese, start up NGOs for any of the numerous, worthy causes they deal with regularly, at any opportunity they can. Most are valid, but the result is a commodification that reeks of the ‘cool club’ stench that most NGOs carry with them in places like Goma - where I was with my friend in Eastern DRC. Fulfilling the model bestowed from foreign example, NGOs tend to flaunt their money; they tear up dirt cities with high security, high flash vehicles and while many times their intentions are good, there have been enough incidents of bad behaviour to soil the industry for those who can behave themselves.

When I opened the e-mail my friend sent me, it had the expected, heart-picking program, but it included an unexpected twist. He wrote:

“I was informed, also, that the Canadian Government has available funds for some projects in towns. If you can investigate this and inform me after, I think we can undertake a project of evacuating the garbage which is spread everywhere in Goma  - that you saw, it is very dirty. This can also be a good way of fighting diseases in Goma which are caused by this harmful garbage.”

How do I reply to my friend? How do I tell him that my government thinks his idea of clearing garbage is more important, or at least worth more money than the idea of fighting the diseases he speaks of? How do I tell him that the idea of a photo shoot with half naked, sick Congolese children picking up garbage to save the environment fits better into the Canadian foreign aide agenda; it has more currency in Canadian politics, than one of just the half naked, sick Congolese children?

How do I reply and ignore the obvious fact that he already realized my government holds priority of the environment – the air and earth that they share with Canada – above the priority of the security of his life, his family’s lives and the lives of his country. Even more so, how do I tell him that I could waste weeks trying to get my government to listen to my suggestion of his program, and still not have sifted my way through the bureaucracy?

I don’t want to tell him any of this. 

Why don’t we ask Harper to instead?

Make Canadian foreign aide more mindful.

Make Canadian foreign aide more grass roots.

Make Canadian foreign aide more reflective of Canadian want.

Make it safe for my friend to raise his family.

Make it so they can fill their bellies and go to school.

Make poverty history.